The Light of the BAU
by scorpion22
Summary: Based off of criminal minds season 11. Penelope is gunned down by the dirty dozen before anyone can put her into protective custody. The team waits in the hospital anxious to know if she'll be alright. Will she live? Will she die? And either way what will happen when it's all over? Will the team take the assassins down? Please read and review. I own nothing.


This is based off of the first half of criminal minds season 11. I hope you all enjoy it and please review. I own nothing.

Chapter 1

The BAU was shrouded in darkness. The darkness of the crimes that they saw every day, but that darkness was kept at bay every day by someone with a heart as pure as the golden sun. That person was Penelope Garcia, for she was the one that brought a smile to their face when the days were gloomy. She was the color among the gray that kept them tethered in the real world, the good world, and she made them a family. For every time she sent them away she sent her love with them and she never let them forget that that love was there every second of the day. That was why when they found themselves in that emergency room they all felt a hidden panic beating in their hearts.

"Do we know what happened?" whispered JJ finding Hotch and Morgan already there. Morgan was covered in blood, Penelope's blood, and the look in his eyes was deadly.

"The Dirty Dozen used her as an example, a warning to us. She was getting close to finding them and they put a hit out of her. I had just been notified and was leaving to catch up with Morgan and her when the shots were fired," said Hotch his stature stoic as always when inside he was as scared as he knew the whole team would be. Morgan didn't say anything choosing to remain silent. In fact none of them did after that, instead everything had an eerie calm as the whole team quickly assembled in the room. They each were afraid that she would die and their guardian angel would be no more, for that was who Garcia was; their guardian angel. They needed her. They all knew that they couldn't do their jobs without her. Penelope was an essential part of their team and their lives. They didn't know what she would do without her to turn to. For she was that voice in their ears that was always a phone call away; they needed her. They couldn't lose her and they didn't know what they would do if they did.

"It could have been any of us who got close. They only chose her because she just happened to be the one who did," said Rossi suddenly making them all look at him each of them wanting to respond, but deciding not to. For they knew he was right. They knew this was bound to happen to one of them again, one of them was always in trouble, but this time they hoped everything would be okay. They hoped she would be okay and they wouldn't have to bury another member of their family. Because while they knew Penelope might leave someday they didn't want it to be this way.

" She's going to be fine, she has to be," whispered Reid his eyes meeting JJ before each of them suddenly jumped when Morgan punched a wall not giving them a chance to do anything for him as he stormed from the room wiping away tears he didn't want them to see. He couldn't get that image of her out of his head. How she had clutched at him after she had been shot trying to tell him something as he tried to stop the bleeding. Morgan had been in the ambulance when she coded and her blood still covered him. He had a terrible feeling deep down inside that he would lose her, his baby girl, and he didn't want to think about that. For this was not how it was meant to be. She wasn't supposed to leave them like this, she was supposed to leave of her own will, she was supposed to go somewhere, and live in the light. That was how he had wanted her to say goodbye to the darkness of the job not this way, though he always knew either was the outcome would be the same. Morgan knew however they lost Garcia that every member of the team would cry over the loss. For without their light this job would be a little bit harder. But Morgan let that slip away with a shake of his head. She was not going to die. She would live, she would continue to work this job, and someday she would leave when she wanted to. She would move on to a new life, she would find love, and be happy. It would not end like this; it could not end like this.

The BAU had long since considered death an enemy. It was the one enemy they couldn't fight though they tried to. He had taken Hailey and nearly taken Prentiss, but sitting in that room in that moment they were determined he couldn't have Garcia.

"Why didn't they call you about this sooner, Hotch, we could have protected her?" said Tara making them all look at her bringing them out of their thoughts of both the past and present.

"I don't know…I think they have somebody on the inside…somebody who wanted this to happen," said Hotch his voice breaking letting them see his anger as he too left the room. He couldn't help, but think that Garcia would be another person he cared for that he was too late to save. Today they all feared that death would win and take Garcia from them. And sitting in that emergency room they each wondered what they could do, what they could have done. They each thought of Garcia, their light, remembering the times in the past when she had always been there.

Each of them wondered what would happen if she died. Of one thing they were sure, she would not be replaced, she could not be replaced. No one would light up their world the way she did. No one would love them the way she did. And they were sure their team would never be the same. For what would a world without Penelope Garcia be like? It would be breathless, lightless, and colorless. It would fade like the setting sun and die. The darkness would no longer be kept at bay and would take over everything they knew. And as they pictured such a nightmare their hearts were filled with tears. Those tears were held inside by the hope that they each felt too. Because they had hope. Hope that she would survive and live on. She would be fine, they each told themselves that, but still the feared the truth. The truth that she just might not be okay, that she might die, and yet they each promised if that happened they would get them. They would get the dirty dozen and make them pay. But still they thought over and over again that she wouldn't die.

She would not die because they needed to believe that. Believing that would make it true. She would be fine. She would survive this just like she did the last attempt on her life and be all the stronger for it. Because death could not have her, they each thought that as they waited. It could not have her, they would not let it, and as more memories ran though their minds they waited. They waited to know if their light had been snuffed out.


End file.
